As the World Cup approaches, we take a look back at life in 1966 – extremely different to today, despite Paul McCartney releasing new music. Social historian Paul Feeney explains
A Labour Prime Minister two years into office – described as ‘not very popular with the British public – Paul McCartney releasing new music and the small matter of a World Cup to win. Despite these similarities, life in 1966 was extremely different to today, as social historian Paul Feeney, author of 1966: From Good Vibrations to World Cup Victory, explains. He says: “What was it like to be living in Britain in 1966? Was it really so unlike the Britain of today? The answer is most definitely yes.”
It’s impossible to think of 1966 – and the sixties as a whole – without thinking of fashion. The time is synonymous with a radical new wave of the way Britain dressed – from mod culture to the mini skirt. Awarded an OBE that same year, Mary Quant designed the skirt – which became so popular the government had to step in.
Most miniskirts had previously been classed as children’s wear, but in 1966 the government reclassified them as adult clothing, to stop grown women avoiding the clothing tax by buying tax-free children’s clothes. Popularised by Jean Shrimpton, often described as the world’s first supermodel, she helped launch the miniskirt in 1965.
Other top models in 1966 included Celia Hammond, Pattie Boyd, Peggy Moffitt, Penelope Tree and 16-year-old Twiggy (aka Leslie Hornby), who was named the ‘Face of 1966’. For men, well-tailored suits were the norm, Fred Perry polo shirts the popular casual option.
The more flamboyant adopted a look later stolen by Austin Powers, described as: “Fabrics like velvet accessorised with frills and bows, topped of with carefully coiffured flowing locks.” In daily life, a milkman still brought the morning pint, post was delivered twice a day, although there was no junk mail, and most Brits still shopped at a local store, before supermarkets took over.
Twenty per cent of Brits had yet to discover the joys of indoor plumbing, and central heating was a long way off, with coal fires and oil burners heating many homes. Britain’s first credit card, Barclaycard, launched in June 1966 – before which, we paid for everything using cash or cheque.
Getting a doctor’s appointment was a lot easier than nowadays. You were seen the same day and were never refused a home visit – even in the middle of the night. Motorways were new. Only the M1 was up and running, with an experimental 70mph limit. The nightmare of the M25 was still a long way away.
In 1966, when it came to drink driving, the law had just made it illegal to drive above 80mg blood alcohol, but the only test police had was to ask the driver to walk in a straight line. Pass the walk and you were back behind the wheel. It was a £100 fine and up to two years in jail if you failed the test.
Fed up with road chaos here? Maybe a trip abroad could be the answer. Although most Brits holidayed at home, with trips to popular seaside spots like Blackpool, Brighton and Bournemouth, foreign getaways were starting to appear. Freddie Laker formed Laker Airways, operating economy charter flights from Gatwick to holiday resorts across the Med, although Spain was the top of the list, but thousands flocked to destinations like Majorca, Ibiza and Tenerife.
Benidorm was growing as a resort in the mid-1960s, but mass package tourism to the Costa Blanca was only just starting. Alicante Airport did not open until 1967, so most visitors flew into Valencia, before a three to four hour coach transfer down the coast.
For those staying home, the cinema was the most popular destination. But, while TV was still in its infancy, there were some shows we would recognise. Corrie was dominating the monthly ratings charts. Alf Garnett was shocking audiences in Till Death Us Do Part and in October 1966 ,William Hartnell regenerated as Doctor Who for the first time, as Patrick Troughton took over the role.
In America, Star Trek launched, although it wouldn’t arrive in the UK for a couple of years. Until then, the UK’s favourite sci-fi remained Thunderbirds, which had a feature film released. Cliff Richard and The Shadows released a tie-in single in late 1966 for Thunderbirds Are Go, which included tracks like ‘Lady Penelope’. Cliff, already a well-established star, also voiced a singing puppet in the movie.
Cinema was a mixed bag. Alfie, starring Michael Caine, was a critical hit. Thunderball, the fourth Bond film, cleaned up at the box office, and Doctor Zhivago starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, grossed around the equivalent of £80 million in today’s money. And Carry On Screaming saw the team tackling the villainous OddBod, played by Tom Clegg.
Musically, it’s impossible to think of 1966 without the Beatles. They released the groundbreaking album Revolver in August – widely considered one of their best, with tracks like ‘Eleanor Rigby’, ‘Taxman’, and ‘Yellow Submarine’. They toured Germany, Japan, the Philippines and the USA – their final paid concert tour.
The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Kinks were also making it big, with Sunny Afternoon becoming one of the biggest hits of the year, reaching number one in the UK during the summer. But, somewhat bizarrely, the best-selling album of 1966 was The Sound of Music soundtrack, which spent 70 weeks at the top of the UK album chart.
And the 11th Eurovision’s UK performance saw Kenneth McKellor, a Scottish tenor in a kilt, come ninth with ‘A Man Without Love’ at the Luxembourg final. But there was only really one tournament that Brits were interested in … the World Cup.
Although football was not the big business it is today, it was still the national obsession. Liverpool, managed by Bill Shankly, were the champions; Everton FA Cup winners and Bobby Charlton was both British and European Footballer of the Year. Arsenal finished 14th and Man City were still in the Second Division. The average footballer’s wage in the top flight was £44 a week compared to today’s £60,000.
World Cup fever built throughout 1966. But there were no sticker albums or global sponsorship blitzes. The official mascot was World Cup Willie, a cartoon lion wearing a Union Jack football shirt and the first official World and the Royal Mint put out commemorative medals in silver and bronze.
Television coverage was central. The BBC broadcast England’s matches live, with ITV also carrying coverage across the tournament. And people gathered to watch in pubs, clubs and village halls. The tournament started in July, with 16 teams – compared to 48 today – including North Korea, and was played at grounds including Hillsborough, Roker Park, and Ayresome Park, with the final at Wembley.
The night before England’s final triumph, Sir Alf Ramsey took the squad to the local cinema to watch Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. That followed an earlier visit to Pinewood Studios, where the squad met Sean Connery, filming You Only Live Twice.
Ninety three thousand spectators, including the Queen and Prince Philip, filled Wembley Stadium to watch England beat West Germany in the final, with around 400 million watching worldwide. After the final, the England squad’s win bonus was £22,000. Bobby Moore insisted it was split equally, leaving each man with £1,000.
Pre-tournament, Sir Alf had been confident about England’s chances, famously predicting: “We will win the World Cup.” Current coach Thomas Tuchel was slightly more cautious, saying at the end of last year: “I think everyone knows we cannot promise that we will win it, but England fans want to see a team that loves to fight for each other, loves to run and give everything.”
Then and now
1966 Prices – in today’s money as decimalisation didn’t come in until 1972:
UK National Average Wage (National Average Earnings)
- 1966: £20.30 per week (£1,055 per year)
- 2026: £749 per week (£38,948 per year)
Cinema ticket
Pint of beer
Fish and chips
Flight to Spain (return charter)
Train ticket (London–Manchester return)
Men’s haircut
Pack of 20 cigarettes
Loaf of bread
Pint of milk
Daily newspaper
